Ham and Pea Rice Cakes Recipe

When you need something a bit greasy, spicy, and filling to undo whatever is left in your system from the night before, these easy rice cakes are the answer to your hangover prayers. As an added bonus, they are a perfect use for that pesky carton of leftover white rice from take out earlier in the week.

Ham is what I like to use in this recipe, but bacon would work as well. And if you happen to have it laying around, a piece of diced tasso ham gives this dish a vaguely Cajun feel—almost like a jambalaya cake.

Yield:Serves 4

Active time:20 minutes

Total time:20 minutes

Ingredients

Vegetable oil

1/2 pound ham steak, diced

1 medium onion, finely chopped (about 3/4 cup)

2 cups cooked rice

1 cup peas, thawed if frozen

1 tablespoon tomato paste

Pinch of red pepper flakes

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 egg, beaten

Finely sliced scallions, to garnish

Directions

1.

Heat 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil in a medium non-stick skillet over medium high heat until shimmering. Add the ham and cook, stirring constantly until ham is crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove ham from pan and place in a large bowl. Add onions to pan and cook until onions are soft and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer to bowl with ham.

2.

Add rice, peas, tomato paste, and red pepper flakes to ham mixture and mix until all the ingredients are evenly incorporated. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then add beaten egg and mix until egg is full incorporated.

3.

Using your hands, form rice mixture into 8 evenly sized balls. Heat another teaspoon of vegetable oil in a medium non-stick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add half of rice cakes and and cook until brown on one side, about 4 minutes. Flip and cook until the other side is browned, about 4 minutes longer. Repeat with remaining cakes and serve hot garnished with scallions.